Summary of "Shiny New Clients! – How to Scale Your Course/Membership with an Affiliate Program"
Episode Release Date: February 17, 2025
Host: Jenna Harding (Warriner)
Guest: Laura Sprinkle, Founder of Rootable
Introduction
In the February 17, 2025 episode of "Shiny New Clients!", host Jenna Harding delves into the intricacies of scaling online courses and memberships through effective affiliate programs. Joined by Laura Sprinkle, the founder of Rootable and a seasoned affiliate program strategist, the episode offers valuable insights into launching and managing successful affiliate initiatives to boost business growth without relying heavily on traditional advertising.
Understanding the Power of Affiliate Programs
Jenna begins the conversation by discussing her long-standing intention to launch an affiliate program for her business. She acknowledges the complexities involved and introduces Laura Sprinkle as the expert who can demystify the process. Jenna emphasizes the potential of affiliate programs to significantly impact business revenue, stating:
"Your affiliate program can make a huge mark in the revenue your business is bringing in." ([00:00])
Laura Sprinkle’s Journey into Affiliate Marketing
Laura Sprinkle shares her personal journey into the world of affiliate marketing. Initially involved in creating her own health-focused products, including a book and a course titled "She's Got Guts," Laura realized the challenges of expanding her client base without excessive advertising. This led her to explore affiliate programs as a viable solution.
"If I had had an affiliate program at that time, I'd probably still be doing that work because I sort of just came to the end of my rope..." ([01:53])
Laura recounts her experience working with Selena Su's "Impacting Millions" course, where she served as an affiliate manager. This role ignited her passion for affiliate marketing, allowing her to promote products she genuinely loved while generating revenue.
"I just fell in love with the whole process." ([01:53])
The Dual Benefits of Affiliate Programs
The discussion highlights how affiliate programs benefit both the business and the affiliates. Laura explains that affiliates can promote complementary products, creating additional revenue streams without the need to develop new offerings.
"Promoting complementary courses and programs...they both can make incredible revenue promoting the other person without needing to have two courses themselves." ([04:02])
Jenna shares her personal experience with affiliate marketing, mentioning how she uses affiliate links for tools like Later (a scheduling software) to earn passive income while recommending products she trusts.
"I asked them multiple times...and then I disclosed that when I tell my clients, I recommend you use them...if you do and you use this link, I get, you know, six bucks a month or something." ([05:42])
Rootable: Revolutionizing Affiliate Management
Rootable, founded by Laura Sprinkle, is introduced as a specialized affiliate tracking platform tailored for course creators, membership sites, and digital product entrepreneurs. Laura contrasts Rootable with other platforms like Kajabi or Thrivecart, emphasizing its user-friendly interface and comprehensive tracking capabilities.
"We didn't see anything that was really well made and gave your customers the ability to have transparency into the process." ([06:17])
Laura explains how Rootable allows affiliates to track not just sales but also leads, enhancing their ability to nurture prospects and increase conversion rates.
"They can track leads as well as sales...they can follow up with them...they make more sales, which means you make more sales." ([07:55])
Enhancing Affiliate Support and Engagement
The conversation underscores the importance of providing affiliates with the right tools and resources to succeed. Jenna discusses creating a mini-course for her affiliates to simplify the technical aspects, ensuring they feel confident in promoting products.
"Here are the techs that works...explain the whole thing, because I know when I was an affiliate for other people...it was so intimidating." ([09:58])
Laura adds that supplying affiliates with email templates, swipe copy, and social media ideas can significantly enhance their promotional efforts.
"Give them materials, swipe copy, email templates, ideas for their Instagram story, hold their hands and make it easy for them to support you." ([10:00])
Best Practices for Running an Affiliate Program
Laura shares essential strategies for managing a successful affiliate program:
-
Test Everything Ahead of Time: Ensure all aspects of the affiliate setup are functioning correctly before launch to avoid tracking issues and ensure a smooth experience for affiliates.
"Test everything ahead of time...communicate more than you think you should." ([12:09])
-
Regular Communication: Maintain consistent communication with affiliates to keep them informed, motivated, and supported. This can involve daily check-ins, updates, and providing feedback.
-
Utilize a Virtual Assistant: For larger affiliate pools, having a part-time VA can help manage daily interactions, recognize top performers, and assist less active affiliates.
"Having a VA or something to support...it makes you kind of have this, like, omnipresent vibe where your people are like, oh, my God, Jenna's paying attention to my promo." ([13:58])
Overcoming Hesitations in Affiliate Marketing
Jenna addresses common concerns entrepreneurs might have about promoting products outside their usual niche. Laura offers practical solutions:
-
Start with What You Know: Begin by promoting products related to your existing offerings to maintain authenticity and ease of promotion.
"Selling somebody else's product can actually be a lot easier than selling your own in a lot of cases." ([15:20])
-
Share Authentic Stories: Use genuine experiences and stories related to the product or its creator to make promotions feel natural and trustworthy.
"Always come back to the true stories that you have...tell stories about your life and your marketing." ([16:22])
Jenna adds that starting with freebies can help affiliates build confidence before moving on to paid promotions.
"I always start my people that are nervous to sell by giving away a freebie...get the reps in and get the practice promoting without the mindset blocks." ([16:08])
Success Stories and Practical Examples
Laura shares inspiring examples of successful affiliates, such as a children's book author thriving as an affiliate for a business publicity course. This illustrates the versatility and broad applicability of affiliate marketing across different industries.
"One of her biggest affiliates was a children's book author...she used personal outreach and she was on the leaderboard every time." ([19:16])
Identifying When to Launch an Affiliate Program
Laura advises that businesses should consider launching an affiliate program once they have a validated product and a proven sales system in place. Affiliates are most effective when they can amplify an already successful offering.
"You're ready for an affiliate program once you already have an existing product...affiliates are just going to be able to give you more eyeballs." ([20:21])
Conclusion
As the episode concludes, Jenna expresses gratitude for Laura’s insights, highlighting the immediate applicability of the strategies discussed. Laura promotes Rootable's "Rock Your Affiliate Program," encouraging listeners to explore tools that can streamline their affiliate management processes.
"Her program is called Rock Your Affiliate Program. I will link everything down in the show notes, all the thanks, thank you so much for being all the things." ([21:22])
Notable Quotes:
-
Laura Sprinkle:
"I just fell in love with the whole process." ([01:53])
-
Jenna Harding:
"Your affiliate program can make a huge mark in the revenue your business is bringing in." ([00:00])
-
Laura Sprinkle:
"We can track leads as well as sales...you can see who’s taken them up on that offer." ([07:55])
-
Laura Sprinkle:
"Test everything ahead of time...communicate more than you think you should." ([12:09])
-
Laura Sprinkle:
"If you're sharing from the heart and telling stories about your life and your marketing and in your social content...it's just going to be a value add." ([18:09])
-
Laura Sprinkle:
"Affiliates add fuel to a fire that's already lit." ([20:21])
This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions, strategies, and insights shared in the episode, providing valuable information for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to leverage affiliate programs to scale their offerings effectively.